From Madrid to Mallorca

Last post was before the wedding in Sitges a week ago!  It was perfect weather and a 14-bedroom villa for the 25 family members who joined together a few days before the wedding.  So fun to be on a European family trip!


The first night we met and had tapas for our families’ first meeting.  A great recommendation from my former Homestay who now lives in Barcelona!



Julien and Nofar organized some day activities:  1. Yoga as a group followed by some delicious pastries to help us start our day —- so many pastries in Spain!.


 Pretty fun to be doing yoga with a variety of levels!  2.  Brunch in Sitges with young kids who needed to get going a little faster than Spanish time

and a nice walk followed by a catered dinner of delicious food.  3. A walk in the park in Barcelona at Park Güell.  Tricky to find parking for, but we got a group photo and then went on our own paths.  G and I moseyed up the hill by car and saw awesome views of the city.



Night before the wedding, J and N got their marriage certificate through a commissioner in the US using Zoom.


Mazel Tov! Great to have so many cousins together.

I’m learning some basic Hebrew expressions! (That one I, of course, knew before!)

Day of the wedding, Nofar, her mom and grandmother and I got our hair and make up done from 8 am.  I didn’t know you could put eye make up on for almost an hour!  But hair and make up was beautiful on each of us.  I got to drive J and N to the beach for their photos, and I think I was the last to dress, but sliding on a dress just before the ceremony was the quickest thing!  Julien, his dad and I walked down the carpeted runway to the “huppah” where Nofar’s parents and the two brothers stood.  My mom and the boys’ Godmother got to watch from GoogleMeet; here’s a pic:


The two brothers officiated and gave speeches.  The couple wrote their own vows and two wrapped lightbulbs were crushed by each J and N’s foot to symbolize the shattering “of single days, presenting them as a couple, bonded by love and guiding them through all the adventures that lie ahead” Here are screenshots of their instagram posts:



The ceremony was followed by appies by the (unheated) pool in the open area of the villa with about 20 friends and the 25 family members.  Dinner was served outside under a beautiful full moon with three courses including seafood paella amongst the offerings.  Luckily that night the wind was calm as the night before for the group dinner, the wind blew through and everyone pitched in to move the place settings inside and enjoy the delicious meal.  Of course, some of the young men ended up in the pool at one point!

A few more speeches occurred during dinner and a DJ and saxophonist played dance music until ten pm when the party moved inside until 2. The midnight snacks were cheesecakes! Everyone left early the next morning (by 9), and the friends did activities for the next three days together.  I met up with a former Homestay student who has a new baby and we climbed Monserrat (without the baby!),


and he put me on a train Monday morning to meet up with Liam, and we headed to Madrid at almost 300 km/h.


In between, actually, I got to go into Teragona with my sister, two nieces and grand niece and nephew and brother in law.  Had a nice lunch and got to use my duo-lingo Spanish skills that seem to keep growing!

Liam and I toured Madrid on foot having the best burrito in Madrid, according to Trip Advisor on Halloween night.  


Many angels and devils paraded the streets.  On one day we also stopped into the university library and worked on a grant for our Festival on one of the rainy days, and did some other touring ending up (for free) in the Museum of Sophia looking at Modern Art, kind of like the Vancouver Art Gallery but with lots of Picasso! I really liked the Barcelonan artist Joanne Miro I found out!


Up at 5 am the next day, and off to the airport by taxi.  The plane was two hours late, possibly due to wind.  Once we got on the plane, we waited three more hours possibly while the wind settled. Lots of people were coughing.  One woman was flat out ill.  So out came the heavy duty masks.


Once in the air, the turbulence was fierce at times (one woman was screaming; I was praying! And thinking about logical science about how planes don’t usually crash), and as we tried to land in Majorca, the pilot abandoned the landing saying, “it’s just one of those days!”, but eventually we were safely on the beautiful island and were ravenous for a traditional Majorcan lunch recommended by my former Homestay.  




I had sangria and some bass, Liam, duck leg on potatoes and a beer — beer is still cheaper than water at times! But ten years ago when Liam and I were in Spain, he definitely wasn’t into beer at that point yet!

On Mallorca/Majorca (spelling seems to be interchangeable), we drove to Porto Cristo where our Booking dot com hotel took us, and for the same price of a youth hostel, we have a beautiful space with Turkish bath and sauna, a pool with an in-place swimming space and the best balcony view of the cove.





 It’s a super windy day, still, but hearing the sound of the wind on the 50-foot sailboat masts is a welcome sound for me. I couldn’t be happier! Buffet breakfast and dinner is spoiling us,

(Note the huge pump of Nutella!)


but tomorrow Liam goes home, and I head to my volunteer role as a native English speaker for five days just west of Madrid.

Today Liam and I drove to some salt flats


 and then explored some caves, and one of them has a long and deep lake.



 The first cave in Porto Cristo offers a symphonic concert in row boats.  It reminded me of the boat in Phantom of the Opera except here we had four musicians being rowed around the lake in front of us.  The moment was very touching for me, and it’ll remain a highlight in my life.












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